


A quiet place to work

by HogarPlinth



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:48:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27372208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HogarPlinth/pseuds/HogarPlinth
Summary: Laura and Carmilla have set up a Paranormal Investigations firm. With Carmilla away visiting a prospective client Laura is forced to look for somewhere quiet to work. Things do not go according to plan..
Relationships: Laura Hollis/Carmilla Karnstein
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	A quiet place to work

Laura jumped at the explosion and looked around her office as the lights blinked out, leaving the room illuminated by her laptop screen. She was about to get up to investigate when Laf peered around the door, a sheepish expression on their face.

“Sorry, Frosh. I was sure that wouldn’t happen again. I’ll reset the power box so I can give it another go”

“OK, but that’s three times today, I’m going to work at the bar. I need to review these case notes. Don’t destroy the office while I’m gone. Please” she pleaded.

Laura closed her laptop and gathered up her files and tried to get them into some sort of order before putting everything into her bag and swinging it onto her shoulder. With that she left the office, closing the door with rather more force than necessary and went down the stairs to the main entrance.

Once on the street, Laura took a deep breath before heading down the street toward the bar. The Mid-Day Sun, as the bar was formally known was the closest bar to their office and more importantly was quiet and homely.

Laura entered the bar and stood for a moment to let her eyes get used to the gloom before walking towards the back of the bar, where Mike the owner was stood behind the counter reading a paper. Although they had been coming to the bar for ages, she had never really felt she knew Mike.

The place had an old-fashioned feel to it, with a bar counter running along the length of one wall with a long line of booths on the wall opposite. The booths were lined with leather that had deep dark creases and was shiny as if from frequent use. Some still heading grooves as if someone had sat in the same place for too long, too often. If she has not seen them being installed Laura would have guessed that they had been fixtures since the bar first opened. The walls were covered with old, faded photographs of local streets, notable city dignitaries now long dead and for some reason a racehorse.

Laura dropped her bag on the table in the last booth and walked up to the counter.

“Hi Mike, can I have a hot chocolate?

“Sure, what’s up with the office? Or did you just fancy a change of scenery?

“Laf is working on something and they’ve tripped the power three times today. I really need some peace and quiet to work”

“Ah that explains the lights flickering, one hot chocolate coming up and you’re always welcome here”

Laura waits whilst Mike prepares her chocolate.

“Where’s the other half?”

“She’s out visiting a prospective client”

“More weirdy stuff then?” he said with a grin, sliding her cup across the bar top.

“Paranormal investigations. Our clients are generally happy with our answers when we solve their mysteries” Laura snapped back.

A grinning Mike threw his hands up in mock surrendering as Laura took her hot chocolate back to the booth.

Sitting down, Laura pulled out her files and laptop and arranged everything as best she could on the table. Despite Mike’s comments Laura knew they were helping people with their problems which was the most important thing. Even if the solutions to those problems proved to be mundane and ordinary.

Finding the file, she had been working in in the office and locating her place on the laptop, she began reading the notes from the files and making entries on the laptop. Her goal was to create a client report based on her preparatory research, the notes and interviews she and Carmilla had taken when investigating. Pretty soon she was lost in her work and was now on the third of the files and barely noticed Mike taking her cup and replacing it with a fresh cup and a cookie on a plate.

“Hmm, thanks Mike” she said although distracted by the files.

Laura pulled her phone out her pocket as it buzzed hysterically to attract her attention. She smiled as she saw it was a message from Carmilla.

‘on my way back, cupcake see you soon’

Quickly Laura responded 

‘I’m in the bar’

The phone buzzed with Carmilla’s instant reply

‘on a school night! must be bad?’

‘Laf!!’

‘ah’

Determined not to let her frustration with Laf’s recklessness show, Laura got back to business.

‘how did it go?’

‘Good, we have a new client’

‘Great, see you later’

‘later cutie’

With a smile, Laura put her phone back in her pocket and returned to her files with renew vigour, Carm would be back soon and she wanted to be finished when she arrived. Finding her place in the notes she carried on entering annotations in the report making sure that the best of the photos Carmilla had taken were included and corresponded with the comments she had made. Yes, that was a fun case even if it did involve camping out in a cold, damp churchyard overnight. She made a quick note in her calendar app to ask Carm about turning some of the cases into a blog – ‘The Spooky Casebook of Karnstein-Hollis Investigations”. It could drum up more business. After their experience of her college video project she would have to be careful when she raised this topic.

Closing the file, Laura looked up blinking at her surroundings, her chocolate stood cold and untouched on the table and her cookie was uneaten. Grabbing the cookie and taking a huge bite she saved her work and shut the computer down. Enough work for one day. Rubbing her eyes, stood up and stretched, finishing the cookie she headed for the restroom.

Laura pushed open the restroom door and walk over to the mirror, a tired version of herself looked back at her from the glass. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw someone or perhaps something moving behind her. Turning quickly, Laura saw that she was alone. Swivelling back to the mirror she grinned at her reflection “working too hard” she muttered.

Suddenly a childlike giggle filled the small room, followed by a deeper indistinct growl almost as if in answer to the giggle. Laura spun around to look for the source of the noise, but there was nothing there, the cubicle doors were open, she was alone in the restroom. 

Turning back to the mirror she briefly saw a white shape moving behind her. Laura turned again quickly but she was still alone. Laura faced the mirror again, taking quick breaths to calm herself she gripped the small sink hard, her knuckles whitening as she held herself upright.

Again, the giggling filled the restroom coming from all around Laura but without any obvious source. Laura’s eyes flicked to one side as she tried to follow an indistinct white shape in the mirror.

“she’ll do…” whispered the deeper voice “mine”. Laura flicked her eyes from side to side not trusting herself to turn around again.  
The giggling took up again, answering the deeper voice.

Thin almost indistinct White tendrils floated across the small room reaching out towards Laura but not yet reaching her before pulling back. The tentacles floated freely above the floor as if independent of the room.

“No mine”

The giggling sounded louder in the room in as if arguing with the voice

“MINE!” thundered the voice making Laura shiver with its force

There was a faint giggling that faded away to silence.

Laura stood on the spot unable to move, eyes flicking front side to side, her breath visible in front of her as if the temperature had fallen.

“yes mine” whispered the voice, drawing only a quiet and subdued giggle in response

The white tentacles became bolder and reached in a more determined fashion towards a stationary Laura who was unable to react to the advancing tentacles. One tentacle extended itself up over her left shoulder before descending over her chest.

Laura stared at the tentacle as if moved closer and closer willing herself to move but was unable to react.

To her right another tentacle grew up from the floor headed up over her arm slowly began to loop itself around her wrist. 

Laura could only stare ahead at the shapes in the mirror as they drifted closer to her.

The ends of the tentacles grew larger before splitting into mouthlike shapes, turning these ‘heads’ towards her like snakes ready to strike.

Laura her eyes wide, her body frozen in panic could only watch as the tentacles closed in on her.

Laura’s phone buzzed in the back pocket of her jeans, snapping her out of her trance. Releasing a breath, she didn’t realise she was holding, she bolted for the exit, ripping herself free from the tentacles and ran back into the bar. Bursting out of the restroom, Laura slammed the door shut and lurched into the room and stood still staring at Mike and pointing back at the bathroom door. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly as she gesticulated at the door, her pointing finger shaking up and down.

“It’s OK Laura, I’ve got this” said Mike as he walked slowly around the counter and without touching her, ushered Laura towards the barstools and away from the restroom door. 

“they can’t hurt you” he reassured her.

Leaving Laura stood by the counter he returned to his position, crouching down he reached under the counter for something. There was a soft click as a catch was released followed by a brief bright flash of white light.

“Hi Cupcake”

Laura squealed and turned towards the voice, her eyes wide and looking at but not seeing Carmilla standing there in front of her.

“Ba... Ba…” she stuttered not able to form even simple words.

Carmilla wrapped her arms around Laura’s stiff form, stoking her girlfriend’s back gently trying to coax her away from wherever her panic had taken her.

“Laura, you’re safe, I’ve got you” she repeated softly until she felt Laura relax ever so slightly. Carmilla pulled back, gently holding Laura’s upper arms kissed her forehead.

Standing, Mike was now holding a wooden rod almost two feet long. He muttered something in a language Laura did not understand, as he spoke engraved signs flashed white in sequence against the black lacquered surface of the rod. Their light slowly faded to a dark red. Then he handed the rod to Carmilla and with his left-hand Mike picked up a piece of paper and then walked around the counter towards the restroom. Letting go of Laura, Carmilla weighed up the rod and followed Mike towards the restroom.

“Back in a second, cupcake”

As he passed Laura, Mike turned towards her and with a wink said, “Can you mind the bar, this will only take as minute”. However, Laura jumped back as he spoke not really taking in anything that he had said.

When he reached the door, he stuck the piece of paper to it and then opened the door for Carmilla as she walked in.

“Mine…no” came voice from the restroom, followed by the loud thump of something heavy striking something solid causing Laura to flinch. A flash of white light escaped around the edges of the door.

The was another thump this time of something impacting the wall, rattling the photographs that hung nearby.  
.  
“it was mine” whined the voice, drawing only a heavy thump in response.

There was loud angry snarl and another heavy thump. The white light again flashed around the edges of the door followed by a low keening noise as of something in distress.

And then silence. Laura gripped the seat of the barstool in front of her for support, all she could hear was her ragged breathing.

Then there was the giggle followed by one final thump and flash of white light before it went incredibly quiet.

Laura stared at the door, not daring to breathe now unsure what would come out of the door, her body tensed ready to flee again.

Carmilla exited the restroom, ran her hand through her hair and brushed something off her clothes. She handed the rod back to Mike and retracted her fangs as she walked back to where Laura was still stood open-mouthed by the bar.

“Let’s get you home, Cutie” said Carmilla as she walked towards an unmoving Laura.

“Thanks for minding the shop, the restroom is out of order I'm afraid. I'm going to have to call someone to get it cleaned up.” Mike said cheerily as he crouched down and returned the rod to its hiding place. Again, there was a brief muttering and a flash of white light followed by several mechanical clicks as some unseen and unknown mechanism shut.

Laura stared at him as he walked into his office to presumably make his call, she looked at the restroom door, at Carmilla and back towards Mike’s office not really understanding what had just happened.

“I’ll get your stuff and we’ll go home. You’ll be safe there” Carmilla said softly to Laura causing her to jump slightly. Taking Laura’s hand, she walked over to Laura’s booth and begin packing away the files and laptop. Laura’s refusal to let go of her hand made this otherwise simple task more difficult but Carmilla completed it without complaint.

Carmilla slung Laura’s bag over her shoulder and lead Laura towards the door. Seeing Mike stood in the entrance to his office she nodded slightly, he returned the nod and then retreated into the office.

Once out on the street Laura let go of Carmilla’s hand and turned to face her.

“We can’t leave Mike there, with that… that… those.. things! The voices the giggling the… the things. What about the tentacles in there, we have to help him” the words flooded out of Laura in a torrent.

She turned around and began heading back to the bar. Carmilla gently took her hand again and stopped her.

“Cupcake, Mike will be OK.” She looked into Laura’s eyes “trust me”

“But we’re the paranormal investigators, we need to protect him”

“True, but Mike can take care of himself”

“But…

“He’ll be OK” said Carmilla firmly giving her hand a squeeze and then wrapping her arm around Laura, turned her back in the direction of their apartment.

As they began walking home Laura pointed her finger at Carmilla and huffed “We are so talking about this later”.


End file.
